Manuel jose cuadros



(No Model.)

M. J. GUADROS. APPARATU$ FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULATING TEE FIRING OIORDNANGE 0N SHIPS.

Patented June 30, 1891 m, PNOTO-LITHEL, wAsMmnTuN a I:

UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

MANUEL JOSE CUADROS, OF LIEGE, BELGIUM.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULATING THE FIRING OF ORDNANCE ON SHIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,176, dated June 30,1891. Application filed August 2'7, 1890. Serial No. 363,190. (Nomodel.) Patented in Belgium July 7, 1890, No. 91,179.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MANUEL J 0812 OUADROs, military attache, a citizenof the Republic of Peru, residing at present in Liege, Belgium, haveinvented certain new and useful Apparatus forAutomatically Regulatingthe Firing of Ordnance on Ships, (for which I have ob tained a patent inBelgium dated July 7, 1890, No. 91,179,) and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

In firing ordnance on board ship precision is very difficult toaccomplish on account of the slight stability of the vessel. Theslightest shifting of the center of gravity results in a modification ofthe angle of firing, and this objection has not heretofore beenpractically remedied, in consequence of which few proj ectiles reach thedesired aim.

The object of my invention is to avoid the objection stated and providenovel means whereby the gun is fired when it is in the determined angleforfirin g. To accomplish this object my invention involves the featuresof construction and the combination or arrangement of deviceshereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail sectional elevationof sufficient of my improved apparatus to illustrate its constructionand mode of operation. Fig. 2 is a detail plan View of the universal orgimbal joint for suspending the pendulum, and Fig. 3 is a transversesectional view of a vessel showing my invention applied thereto.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to thedrawings, wherein the letter A indicates a pendulum suspended from thedeck through the medium of a universal or gimbal joint A, so that thependulum can oscillate in two directions. An upright post, standard, orframe A is rigidly fixed to a part of the vessel, and at its upper endportion is provided with a boxing A and bracket A to which latter ispivoted between its extremities, as at D, a lever 0, pivotally connectedat one extremity with a vertical rod B and at its opposite extremitywith a vertically-movable contactpin F. The contact-pin is movablevertically through the top plate of the boxing A and is connected withone pole of an electric generator or battery, while the upper extremityof the pendulum A is connected by a conductor with the other pole of thegenerator or battery and in practice-is suitably arranged to fire thegun when a contact is made between the pendulum and contact-pin. The rodB extends through the deck of the vessel, from which the pendulum issuspended.

The post or standard A and consequently the contact-pin F, follows allthe movements of the vessel, and when the vessel is in its normalposition the contact-pin is directly under the lowest point of thependulum. If at this instant the electric circuit is closed, by raisingthe contact-pin through the medium of the levers B and O the gun isfired at the precise moment when it isat the desired angle of firing.

The gun being aimed at a determined angle for firing, if pressure isapplied to the rod B the lever O is operated to elevate the contactpointF, so that when the vessel reaches the normal position the pendulum willmake contact with the contact-pin and thereby close the circuit and firethe gun. It will be obvious that when the vessel is in its normalposition the axis of the gun will be in the determined angle for firing,but in all other positions of the vessel the angle chosen for firing ischanged, and although the pendulum remains perpendicular it does notcome in contact with the contact-pin unless the latter be raised by thelever mechanism or other contrivances suitable for the conditionsrequired to raise the contact-pin and enable the pendulum to makecontact therewith.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is- The combination,with a vessel and a gun thereon, of a pendulum suspended from a partthereof and having a conductor for electrically connecting with one poleof a generator or battery, a post, standard, or frame having a suit-ablelever carrying a vertically-movable contact point located beneath thelowest point of the pendulum and having an electric conductor, and meansfor moving the lever to I00 elevate the contact-pin for the purpose ofmy name in the presence of two subscribing making contact with thependulum to close witnesses.

an electric circuit which includes the charge MANUEL E GUADROS 1n thegun for firing the latter when the ves- 5 sel is in its normal position,substantially as Witnesses:

described.

R. J. PRESTON,

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed D. T. S. FULLER.-

